During the course of this conversation between Mulally and Whitacre, do you think the names, Mark Fields, Jim Farley or Joe Hinrichs came up? It would be a major coupe if GM could tap one of these three to be the CEO at The New General. A young and talented CEO with a take no prisoners Chairman like Whitacre might be what the people ordered from GM.

Mulally, who Ford hired away from Boeing Co (BA.N) three years ago, did not discuss details of his conversation with Whitacre. Whitacre became chairman of GM in July and was named CEO on Dec. 1 with the resignation of CEO Fritz Henderson.

“Well, matter of fact, we did talk yesterday,” Mulally said in an interview with Jim Cramer on CNBC. “He’s reaching out just the way that I did when I came in.”